“It has come to the notice of the government that in some cases, while distributing the relief, the amount of relief is not being disbursed to the actual cultivators/tenants who have suffered losses,” said the letter, adding that “this is perhaps on account of the fact that updating of the girdawari has not been done in a proper manner.”

The letter reproduced the instructions issued in this regard in October 1988. As per those instructions, in case of land being cultivated by a tenant on chakota rent and for which chakota had already been paid, the relief admissible would be paid entirely to the tenant. In the case of a tenant who is obliged to pay batai (sharing arrangement with land owners), the guidelines said the relief admissible would be shared between the landlord and tenant in the ratio of 1/3:2/3.

Officers have been instructed to hold a local inquiry from cultivators of neighbouring fields and village elders in order to ascertain as to who is the actual cultivator of the land.

Notably, the guidelines about the relief come close on the heels of farmers claiming compensation for their produce hit by frost and the state government subsequently making an assessment of the losses.

In Bathinda alone, the frost bite has taken its toll on 22,623 acres of crop, mostly of potato. While 50 per cent damage was observed on 22,536 acres, 75 per cent damage was recorded on 87 acres, as per a report sent by the Bathinda administration to the Financial Commissioner, Revenue.